General articles 77 FMR 55 June 2017 www.fmreview.org/shelter The power of education in refugees’ lives: Sri Lankan refugees in India Antony Jeevarathnam Mayuran In their determination to take control of an uncertain future, Sri Lankan refugees living in the camps of Tamil Nadu, India, have prioritised education. The story of how they did this, and the crucial role of the host government in supporting them, may inspire other refugee communities who wait in uncertainty for a durable solution. Violence that erupted in Sri Lanka in 1983 and to allow refugee students – most of whom on various subsequent occasions triggered had lost their school certificates during a decades-long exodus of Sri Lankan Tamils displacement – to continue their education. to seek asylum in India and other countries in Asia, Europe, America and Australia. In “We, Sri Lankan Tamils, having lost everything, total, some 303,000 people moved to India requested the governments to provide space for between 1983 and 2010, and were mainly our children to come and study in the classrooms accommodated in government-run refugee along with the Indian children. To our surprise, camps spread across Tamil Nadu in southern the Tamil Nadu government offered space in their India. While the majority of the refugees heart agreeing to admit all the children in schools have since moved back to Sri Lanka, there are without academic certificates. Nowhere in the world still 19,451 families – about 63,350 refugees – had this happened.” (S C Chandrahasan, founder living in 107 refugee camps. A further 37,868 of OfERR) 1 live in Tamil Nadu outside the camps. A variety of programmes were organised Those living in the camps can access by OfERR to promote education among a range of support measures, including the Sri Lanka Tamils: nursery education, cash allowances and access to all the social primary and secondary schooling, evening security schemes available to local citizens. classes, higher education, computer training, However, for the refugees, education is and school and college student forums. Sri paramount. They see education as fundamental to efforts to rehabilitate and empower the refugee community, and believe that Sundar Ramu an educated community will be better prepared to rebuild a peaceful and prosperous society upon return to Sri Lanka. Prioritising education Under the leadership of OfERR (Organization for Eelam Refugees Rehabilitation, an organisation of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees), the refugees lobbied the central and state governments of India and obtained special concessions A student-led forum for school children in a Sri Lankan refugee camp in Tamil Nadu, India. 78 General articles FMR 55 www.fmreview.org/shelter June 2017 Lankan Tamils prize education highly and Nadu. There is neither poverty nor hunger; if any child from a refugee family is seen women are empowered and gender equality not to be attending school, the neighbours is maintained; almost 100% of children will intervene and take responsibility have access to basic education; there are to ensure the child’s education. no epidemics, and infant and maternal OfERR helps the students of vulnerable mortality is very rare in the camps; and families to access higher education by refugees are conscious of the consequences providing scholarships, with a major of global warming and climate change and part of each scholarship funded by an actively engage in promoting environmental external donor.2 More than 3,526 students sustainability. The support of the Tamil in this refugee community have graduated Nadu and Indian governments has been or achieved diplomas, including in significant in helping to achieve this. medicine, engineering, IT, banking, Sri Lankan Tamil refugees have not business and social work. The Tamil Nadu deviated from their objective of developing government’s support in allowing access their human resources and building their to higher education has been crucial. capacities. Despite insecurity about the More than three decades have passed future, education has been used as a bulwark and now basic education is ensured for against the harsh challenges encountered every child in the camps, while special non- in their lives, and their empowerment formal education and psychosocial support through education has brought a sense are provided for children with disabilities. of sustainability and self-reliance, and OfERR’s programmes aimed not only to help has helped equip them for their return to the refugees be gainfully occupied but also Sri Lanka. to help them overcome the psychological Antony Jeevarathnam Mayuran trauma resulting from prolonged residence [email protected] in camps and years of uncertainty regarding OfERR (Ceylon) prospects for return to Sri Lanka.3 https://oferr.org Through district and regional forums www.oferrceylon.com involving over a thousand students, the refugee student community helps the next generation of students by providing My name is Antony Jeevarathnam Mayuran. I am mentoring, coaching, training and Sri Lankan, and have recently returned to my monetary support. They also monitor motherland Sri Lanka after 25 years of life in exile as a refugee. I lived my life as a stateless refugee in academic dropouts, organise community a small house in a refugee camp in India. programmes such as neighbourhood clean- ups, and build awareness within the refugee I completed my Masters in Social Work and then an MPhil in Social Work at Loyola College, community about social and global issues. Chennai, India, and am now a Community Social But their ultimate goal is to utilise their Worker serving the returning IDPs and refugees higher education back in their homeland. in Sri Lanka. I work with OfERR (Ceylon) to provide education, empowerment, documentation, capacity “Graduates, being the highly educated group in our building and livelihood support to the resettled Tamil community, have the responsibility of constantly population in Sri Lanka. updating refugees with the current situation of Sri Lanka and preparing the community for making 1. Commissionerate of Rehabilitation and Welfare of Non-Resident voluntary, considered and informed decisions about Tamils, Camp Population Abstract, 1 November 2016 www.rehab.tn.nic.in/camps.htm their future.” (Ajith Kumar, Paramathi camp, 2. Scholarships part-funded by the Evangelical Church in Namakkal district) Germany’s Ecumenical Scholarship Program. Long-term benefits 3. Saha K C (2004) ‘Learning from empowerment of Sri Lankan refugees in India’, Forced Migration Review issue 20 Education has made a significant contribution www.fmreview.org/sustainable-livelihoods/saha to the social and economic lives of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees living in Tamil .